Neighbor to Family, Inc.

There are more than 500,000 children in foster care in the United States at any given time. Studies indicate between 65% and 85% of children in foster care have at least one sibling; only an estimated 25% of these children are placed with all their siblings.

The sibling bond is unique; it may be the longest lasting relationship in a lifetime. There are strong indicators that siblings who are placed together in foster care experience higher rates of stability, a decreased length of stay in foster care, and suffer less trauma.

In 1998, Florida passed legislation (Florida Statute Chapter, 39.817) to create a pilot for sibling-group foster care. Neighbor To Family was selected as the implementation model and stands today as the premier model for sibling foster care in the country. To date:

• 100% of sibling groups remained together while in NTF placement
• 94% of children served were in compliance with the CDC age appropriate immunizations
• 91% of the children served made progress towards developmental milestones
• 100% of the children increased self esteem as measured by pre/post testing
• 79% of the children increased academic performance
• 67% of the children increased their social skills
• 100% of the children maintained in initial placement
• 99% of the children placed in foster care did not experience any verified or indication of maltreatment during services
• 92% of the children served have no verified or indication of child maltreatment within 12 months post-program services

Independent studies were conducted by the Ounce of Prevention Fund of Florida and the University of Central Florida. Both studies validated the effectiveness of the model. Copies of these studies are available in the Research & Data section of our website.

Professional Foster Care

Neighbor To Family employs professional foster caregivers who receive salaries and respite time, 50 hours of annual training and 24-hour support and consultation from NTF staff.

NTF foster parents are required to make regular reports on the progress of their children and their relationship with birth parents, to do outreach and mentoring for birth parents, to help coordinate therapy and medical care for children and to be an integral part of the therapeutic team that is making decisions about the future of the children.

As a professional member of the team, foster parents have access to all the training and support services they need to care for sibling groups.